𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐃𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝟐𝐊𝟐𝟒

𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐋𝐋!

Important Announcement: Regarding Judge Payments in The Grand Masquerade of Writing Awards

A Gentle Reminder and Call to Action:

I'm writing to address a concerning trend that came to light recently: a lack of commitment from some participants regarding judge payments. The Grand Masquerade of Writing Awards thrives on a foundation of mutual respect and support. Judges dedicate significant time and effort to providing valuable feedback on your work. This includes a genuine read-through of your book, thoughtful feedback, and insightful comments – a process that typically takes far longer than an hour.

Let me be clear: this isn't meant to be a reprimand, but a heartfelt reminder of the importance of mutual respect and commitment.

The issue arises when participants fail to reciprocate this commitment. Voting on a few chapters without truly engaging with the writing is a disservice to the judge's efforts.

Simply skimming through the chapters while claiming to have genuinely read & voted the payment chapters of your assigned judges in just 7 minutes, thinking it'll be counted as genuine read? Let me tell you, you're terribly wrong & we all know that's not a genuine case.

It's a double standard, isn't it? We would easily expect a judge to spend days on a single entry, so why would we offer them anything less in return?

Excuses of being "too busy" simply don't hold water. We all have lives outside of writing– jobs, expectations, families, responsibilities. But entering this award signifies a commitment. It's like making a promise: you agree to the rules, including the judge payment system. Entering a competition implies a commitment to its rules and the respect it demands for all parties involved.

Imagine pouring your heart and soul into judging someone's work, only to receive a payment that reflects minimal effort. It's demoralizing, to say the least. Let's all strive for a fair exchange. Judges deserve to be compensated for their time and expertise, just as you expect recognition for your writing.

This isn't a "read-for-read" scenario where a few cursory votes qualify as a genuine read & payment. Voting on chapters without truly absorbing the content undermines the entire mutual process of help & step to recognition for your hard work you've spent days to write. We all understand the frustration of having our efforts undervalued.

I've received concerning reports about some participants failing to fulfill their judge payment obligations. This is a serious matter. Let me be clear: if this behavior continues, I will be forced to take action. This may include publicly disclosing the names of participants who haven't fulfilled their commitments which includes genuine read, vote & quality comment, as well as disqualifying their entries from not just this award, but potentially future ones as well including the current ones too.

On extra note, I also request our esteemed judges to give some time to their assigned participants to fulfil their payments, we can't expect them to genuine read & vote right away. But yes, there's a time limit for it of max 1 week keeping in view the convenience of all the parties. Until then, you can carry on your judging, if they still fail to fulfil the payment, their book shall be disqualified thereafter.

Also for the participants, if you're actually overwhelmingly busy at the moment, politely let your judges know about it, assuring to genuinely fulfil your payment overtime, but please just don't shower votes all in once with milliseconds of difference & claim that you've completed the payment. This shall not be tolerated.

I truly believe in the power of this award to recognize exceptional writing. Let's work together to ensure its continued success. Please adhere to the rules, and let's celebrate the incredible talent of both authors and judges. With your cooperation, I hope this will be the last time I need to address this issue.

This award is about celebrating exceptional writing, and it can only succeed through mutual support. Let's ensure its success by adhering to the rules.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.